Personal Stories:
Cosmetic Gum Surgery

When I was a kid I knew my smile was different. My teeth seemed smaller, and it seemed like my upper lip was higher up than other the other kids. I was always told what a great smile I had, and I smiled a good deal as a child.

While in college I had a roommate who was enrolled in the dental school on our campus. We became close friends, and one night while we were both studying he made mention that my smile could be "fixed" with gum surgery.  I laughed, and asked how small teeth were corrected with gum surgery, and suggested he transfer to the engineering program. He shared with me that he was currently studying some general periodontal material and presented me with before and after pictures he was reviewing. I was shocked! The before picture looked just like me. I told him my girlfriend thought my smile was terrific, and while thanks for the suggestion I had no interest.

Years later my wife brought the same subject up to me one evening as she was reading. She said that I had a great smile, but it would be even greater if I had crowns or veneers applied to increase the size of my teeth. I explained what my old college roommate had said, and she suggested I spoke with my dentist about it at my next cleaning. I did. And sure enough, my roommate had been right.

I thought about it for a couple of weeks, and decided to make my smile even better. The surgery isn't bad, and the healing was a lot faster than I would have guessed. I'm glad I did it, but I wish I had listened to my college roommate those years ago... if he comes across this story I just know I'll be on the receiving end of a major "I told you so" e-mail.

Craig, Kansas

Next: Gum surgery message board

1. Introduction to cosmetic gum surgery
2. Gum surgery - an overview
3. Who is a candidate for gum surgery?
4. Gum surgery - Procedure description
5. Types of cosmetic gum surgery procedures
6. Procedure to correct a "gummy smile"
7. Procedure to correct a "long tooth smile"
8. Cost of cosmetic gum surgery
9. Advantages and disadvantages of cosmetic gum surgery
10. Gum surgery - Before and after photos
11. Personal stories from people who have had cosmetic gum surgery
12. Discuss gum surgery on the dentistry message board

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